


The Sound of Little Feet

by DiamondbackMako16



Category: Onward (2020)
Genre: F/M, Little Colt, Little Laurel, Romance Isn't The Focus, but Colt and Laurel are married, child hijinks, deage spell, innocent child crushes, magical mishap, oc grandparents - Freeform, youth spell
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:42:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23939326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiamondbackMako16/pseuds/DiamondbackMako16
Summary: The Lightfoot brothers are in a bit of a pickle.A spell gone wrong has left Laurel and Colt in a rather, youthful state.To make matters worse, the book the boys got the spell from, is missing the page with the counter spell, and they have zero idea of how long it will take for the spell to wear off naturally.With friends, family and a Policeman's ball closing in, the boys must find a way to get their parents back to normal...IF they even can...
Relationships: Colt Bronco/Laurel Lightfoot
Comments: 9
Kudos: 18





	1. Little Feet

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Onward belongs to Disney/Pixar and Dan Scanlon. This fic was written purely for fun and I am making no money off this.

This was bad…

This was so, _so_ bad!

Ian looked at his elder brother, searching for any sign of guidance or reassurance, “… _Barley_ …?”

“Yeah…?” Barley’s voice waivered.

The lack of usual confidence did nothing to calm the younger of the two, “Wha-…what do we do?”

Barley tore off his beanie and ran a hand through his messy locks, “I…I don’t know. Just let me think-”

“You’ve been ‘thinking’ for the past ten minutes!” Ian accused.

“And what have _you_ been doing?” Barley snapped back.

“Waiting for _you_ to figure something out! _You’re_ the magic expert!” Ian gave a wild gesture in his brother’s direction.

Barley rolled his eyes, “I’m not a dictionary, I don’t know _every_ spell in existence.” He grumbled as he swiped the newly purchased book of spells from Ian’s desk. He quickly thumbed through the pages and frowned in annoyance. The book had been purchased online and was obviously used and _extremely_ damaged.

Of course, the boys had been aware that the book wouldn’t be in pristine condition, but they weren’t expecting it to be _this_ bad. The certainly hadn’t expected the purchase to come with dark stains bleeding through several pages or pages torn out completely.

“’Acceptable condition’ my left foot.” Barley complained as he dropped the book back in its spot with a loud thump.

Make no mistake, he _was_ going to return the book and he _was_ getting his money back. He was also going to make the investment to get a better copy of the book because despite their current predicament, there _were_ some good spells he and Ian could try later.

But first, they had to take care of more… _pressing_ matters…

“So what do we do now? We can’t leave her like _this_!” Ian motioned to the being in question.

“I know, I know!” Barley argued as he stood beside his brother once more, “Just let me…maybe I can find something online. I know there’s organizations and groups that know all about magic. If I can get in touch with the right one, a _legit_ one, I can find a counter spell. If not,” he looked back at Ian, “The only thing we can do is wait till it wears off…”

Ian frowned. He didn’t like the thought of sitting and waiting, “Do you really think it would wear off on its own?”

Barley shrugged, “It did when you shrunk me.”

“But that time was an accident!”

“So was this one.”

Ian ran a hand through his hair, “I don’t know…I rather we find a counter spell that could fix this _now_ , instead of sitting and waiting for her to get back to normal. I mean, what if it takes days or _weeks_ to wear off? Or, what if it never does?!”

“Ian, _chill_. I’ll find something, I just need time to do the research.” Barley assured.

Ian opened his mouth to argue, but closed it again. His brother was right. There was obviously nothing they could do now but stay calm. He sighed as he looked down at the young girl that stared up at them in curiosity.

While the boys had their panic attacks and meltdowns, the girl had remained silent and simply took in her surroundings in confusion.

“ _Who_ are _you_?” she finally asked.

The teen and young man flinched, “Oh man she doesn’t remember us…” Ian whispered.

“I guess she regained her child-like mind and memories in addition to the de-aging.” Barley speculated before giving a sheepish grin, “Maybe she won’t remember this when we get her back to normal.”

Ian didn’t find the humor in that, “Barley that’s-” A thump from the first floor but him off, “What was that?”

Barley’s eyes widened, “Oh man, _Colt_! He’s gonna freak when he sees this!”

Ian nodded in agreement, “Yeah…and I’m actually surprised he hasn’t come up here to investigate yet.”

There was another thump, followed by a small yelp.

The boys shared a confused look.

“…I’m…I’m going to go see what Colt’s doing.” Barley said unsurely, “Stay here with mom.” He added, jerking his head in the child’s direction.

“ _Mom_?!” the girl repeated.

“Uh, I mean, _Laurel_.” Barley corrected before descending the stairs. “Colt? Are you okay?” he called as he went.

Ian and tiny Laurel watched him go before locking eyes once more.

Ian shifted on his feet, “So uhhh…” he drifted off, not knowing what to say. He didn’t get a chance to ponder his next words as Barley’s slightly panicked voice sounded from down stairs.

“I-Ian? Ian can you come down here?” Barley called up.

Ian’s heart lurched. That didn’t sound good…

“Yeah, I’m coming!” he called back. Not wanting to leave his now child-mother alone and unattended, he swiftly wrapped her up in her clothes, that were now too big for her body, and carefully descended the stairs with her securely balanced on his hip.

“Careful…careful…” Laurel whispered as she tightened her hold around his neck.

They made it down safely, and Ian turned to the corner to go into the living room, “What’s… _oh_ …” Ian’s ears dipped as he took in the sight before him.

 _Just_ when he was starting to think things couldn’t _possibly_ be worse, he found out, they _were_.

Standing in the middle of the living room, wide eyed and shivering in fear, was a young centaur. Ian couldn’t believe his eyes…

“ _Colt_?” The young wizard forced out.

Colt’s trembling intensified and his eyes began to water, “Where’s my mommy?” he whimpered. He sniffled and brought his arm up to wipe away his pooling tears.

“No, no, no don’t cry!” Barley soothed as he brought a hand down to rub the foal’s back.

“I want my mommy!” With that, Colt broke down and began rubbing at his eyes with tiny fists.

Ian and Barley shared a sympathetic look before the elder elf set to work trying to calm the young, well, _colt._

Ian moved to join his brother’s efforts when Laurel began to squirm in his grasp.

“Down please!” the little elf requested.

It was so cute that Ian had no choice but to oblige. He carefully set her down, blushing when her oversized sweatpants and undergarments dropped down to her ankles. Luckily, the workout top she was wearing was large enough to cover her small frame, fitting like a small dress.

Laurel took a couple of steps before tripping over the bottom of her shirt. She put her hands out and caught herself with a small ‘oops!’ before scrambling to her feet, rapidly spouting, ‘I’m okay, I’m okay’ in her cute, little cheery tone. She then lifted the bottom of her shirt away from her feet, just as one would do with a dress, and continued on her path to Colt.

Upon reaching the crying centaur, Laurel reached up and gently patted his chest, “It’s okay. I want my mommy too.”

Colt sniffled as he wiped away his tears. He looked down at the smaller elf, and to the brothers’ amazement, he seemed to actually calm down a bit.

Laurel smiled, “My name’s Laurel.” She greeted.

Colt hiccupped, “…I’m Colt…” he wiped his face with the gigantic shirt he was still wearing.

“Hi Colt! I like your name!”

“Thank you…I like yours too…”

Barley moved to Ian’s side, and the two watched as the toddlers carried on their friendly conversation.

“ _Huh_.” Ian voiced in a ‘well would you look at that’ tone.

“Even as _kids_ they like each other…” Barley whispered.

“At least they’re getting along.” Ian whispered back. He looked up at his brother, “But how is _Colt_ like this? _Mom_ I understand…she took a hit, but _Colt_?”

Barley shook his head, “Remember when the spell hit the mirror? It split in two and they started ricocheting around the room. Mom got hit with one of the blasts, and I guess the other made its way down here where it hit Colt.”

“ _Great_! Now we have _double_ the reason to get things back to normal!” Ian hissed. He covered his face in frustration. He should have _never_ tried that youth spell. While his mother and step-father were stuck as children for who knows how long, the rotten apple he _intended_ to use a test subject, was still upstairs, still rotten…

A tap on his leg got his attention, and the brothers looked down at their young mother.

“We’re thirsty.” Laurel announced as Colt hung back timidly, “Can we have juice?”

“Uh…” Ian looked at Barley for guidance.

“I…I don’t think we _have_ any juice…” the older man answered, “We have mix to make lemonade…”

The children’s eyes lit up, “I like lem’nade!” she squeaked in excitement.

“Me too!” Colt piped up, taking a couple of cautious steps forward.

Ian nodded, “Alright…I’ll make you guys some lemonade, I guess.” The kids cheered, making him smile. The grin diminished as he watched the toddlers struggle to follow him in their gigantic clothing. He turned back to his brother, “They need better fitting clothes.” He noted.

Barley pursed his lips in thought, “I think mom has some of our old clothes stored up in the attic…you know, saving them for the day _we_ have kids.”

Ian blushed as the image of Sadalia flashed through his mind. He quickly shook the thought from his head, “Good. See if you can find them while I make the lemonade.”

“And we’re hungry too!” Laurel added.

Ian paused, “Oh…well, what are you hungry for?”

“Grilled cheese!” Colt answered.

Laurel lit up with a nod, “Yeah!”

Ian nodded, “Okay, I can do that.” The kids cheered again.

Barley grinned, “Well, I’ll leave you to it while I go get those clothes.” He turned and trotted up the stairs.

While Barley rummaged through the attic, Ian made himself busy making lunch for the toddlers, who had gone back to their childish conversations, jumping from one subject to the next.

Barley came down just as Ian finished cooking, and the duo got to work dressing up their… _parents._

Barley pulled the large white shirt off Colt and replaced it with a red shirt with a picture of a dragon on it.

Colt looked down at the image in interest and gave a small ‘hm’ in approval. “Thank you.” He said timidly.

“No problem.” Barley replied with a smile.

Ian meanwhile, opted to change his mother in Barley’s room as a means to keep Colt from seeing anything he _shouldn’t_ see at his age.

He himself actually averted his eyes as he pulled the shirt off and handed his mother her temporary clothes.

Laurel took the shirt and shorts in each hand and looked them over before looking up at Ian, “There’s no undies…” she said after a moment.

Ian blushed, his eyes focused on a poster of a rock band on the wall, “…we don’t have any girl u-… _’undies’_.” He confessed.

“…but I _need_ undies.” Laurel argued.

“I’ll tell Barley to go buy you some, but for now, just… wear the shorts without them…” Ian winced. That suggestion sounded uncomfortable even for _him_.

His poor mother…

Laurel considered this option for a moment, “…Okay.”

The sound of tiny fabric rustling sounded before Laurel’s voice piped up once more, “Help please!”

Ian bit his lip and cautiously peaked down. He was relieved to see that she had already put on her shirt, and had zipped up the shorts’ zipper. The button however, was still undone.

Ian swiftly snapped the button, “There. Much better, right?” Laurel frowned in discomfort, making Ian sigh. “I’ll tell Barley to go buy you some undies right now.”

This seemed to please Laurel as she lit up with relief, “ _Good,_ cause I’m not comfy.”

“I’ll tell him to be fast.” Ian promised, opening the door.

Laurel wasted no time in dashing out of the room and searching for Colt. Ian followed after her and watched as Barley served the kids their lunches. Their little eyes lit up as they were given small, individual bags of chips to go with their sandwiches.

It was the perfect children’s lunch.

“Mom needs some, uh…you know.” Ian started in a whisper.

“I know.” He looked at Ian, “Do you think you can handle them on their own while I run to the store and buy some?”

Ian paused. So far, Laurel and Colt had behaved pretty well, so he didn’t think he’d have an issue with bad attitudes. No, the problem was _boredom_. What could he do to entertain them once they got tired of talking? They may be fine now, but even he knew, a bored child was a mischievous child, and with mischievous children, came _trouble_.

“I think they’ll be okay for a while, but do we by any chance, have any-”

“Way ahead of you bro. I found some old toys mom also stored away, and left them in your room. They could play with those if they get bored.” Barley cut off. Ian sighed in relief as Barley went to the front door. He swiped his keys off the key hook and looked back at his brother, “I’m gonna go get whatever we need for these little guys. If you need anything,” he patted his right pocket where his brand-new cell phone rested, “I’ve got my phone. I’ll be back!” he announced before turning and slipping out the door.

Ian stared at the door as he heard Guinevere-Two start up and peel out of the driveway and down the road.

“He’s going so super-fast.” Colt piped up, startling Ian, “The police are gonna get him.” The foal said before taking another bite.

Ian gave a reassuring smile, “Don’t worry, he’ll be careful.”

It was ironic really, given that Colt had given Barley several tickets himself.

Colt merely shrugged before going back to his conversation with Laurel.

Ian propped his head in his hand as he sat and listened in on the youngsters’ conversation. It was actually cute and interesting to listen to them chat about school and their friends and the things they liked. Cuter still was the way Colt seemed to hang on to Laurel’s every word and gazed at her with what Ian could only assume was young affection.

‘Puppy love', is what people called it. 

Ian smirked as he shifted in his seat. He couldn’t _wait_ to tell Barley how, even in youth, Colt _still_ had feelings for their mother. What’s more was, it looked like Laurel was incredibly fond of Colt as well.

Ian sighed.

Hopefully he and Barley could get things back to normal soon, and they could all laugh at this within a couple days time.

 _Hopefully_ …


	2. Wrong Conclusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tiny, future Captain Bronco comes to the wrong conclusion about his and Laurel's predicament...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Onward belongs to Disney/Pixar and Dan Scanlon. This fic was written purely for fun and I am making no money off this.

Ian sat on the couch as he watched the… _children_ …play with his and Barley’s old toys. The two had been in a playful mood after lunch, so to keep them entertained, Ian had retrieved the box of toys Barley had brought down from the attic, and dumped it in front of the duo.

At first, he had been worried that the toys wouldn’t appeal to his mother, but apparently, they appealed to her just fine. After a brief scan of the discarded toys, she had settled for two action figures that were now ‘discussing’ a birthday party they were going to throw for another action figure.

It was actually kind of funny to hear his mother use her ‘deep’ voice for the male figurines.

Colt on the other hand, had gone for the toy police car and was currently rolling it along the floor while making little ‘wee-oo’ noises under his breath.

Ian smiled, “You like the police car Colt?” 

The young centaur looked up and nodded, “When I grow up, I wanna be a police officer like my dad!”

Ian’s brows rose, “ _Really_? Wow, that’s great!”

“That’s so brave…” Laurel gushed from her spot on the floor.

Colt blushed with a shy smile before continuing with his playing.

Ian watched the short interaction in silence. ‘Dang mom you’re crushing on Colt already?’ he thought as he crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat.

And as for Colt, Ian knew Colt had wanted to be a police officer since he was a kid, but he didn’t know the centaur had picked out his future career _this_ young. And to actually stick through his decision all the way up to adulthood? That was pretty impressive.

A small tap on his knee brought the teen back to Earth, “Where’s the other boy?” Laurel asked curiously.

Ian looked at the door. Good question…

“…he went to the store to get some juice and some other stuff for you guys.” Ian explained.

“When do we get to go home to our mom’s and dad’s?” Colt asked from his spot, “I have school tomorrow…I think.” He looked down in confusion.

Laurel nodded in agreement, “I think I have school too!”

Ian rubbed his hands on his pants, “Well…today’s Friday, sooo…you don’t have to worry about school tomorrow.”

“Cause it’s _Saturday_!” Laurel said confidently, showing off her knowledge of the days of the week.

“Oh…” Colt said softly, “Then I got scouts tomorrow, so I gotta go home before bedtime.”

Ian bit his lip. Yeah, he remembered Colt mentioning he was in a boy scout program as well.

“I…don’t think you have to worry about that…” Ian said slowly, “You guys are gonna be here a while.”

This caught the children’s attention.

“Why?” Laurel asked.

Ian’s eyes shifted, “Because…uh…because…”

What was he supposed to say? ‘I can’t let you guys go home because you’re actually our parents, and technically, you _are_ home’? As if! Not even a _child_ would believe that!

“…Are we being kidnapped?” Colt asked wide eyed. Laurel gave a wide-eyed gasp at the notion.

“Are we?!” she asked panic stricken. She moved over to Colt, who wrapped his arms around her protectively.

Ian would have thought the scene cute, had the situation not taken such a serious turn.

“No! No, no, no, no, _no_! No kidnapping! This is _not_ a kidnapping! I’m just… _babysitting_ you.” Ian explained.

Colt didn’t look convinced, “But I don’t remember coming here!”

“Me neither!” Laurel agreed.

Ian opened his mouth to argue when the front door opened and Barley walked in.

“Barley!” Ian said as he stood from his seat.

“Yeah, yeah I know, I took longer than I should have, but believe it or not, it’s hard to shop for kids! Plus there was a lot of people, and there was only one register open and they had the slowest-”

“ _Barley_!” Ian hissed, effectively cutting off the older elf.

“What?”

“We’ve got an _issue_.” Ian jerked his head in the kids’ direction.

Barley looked around and noted his parent’s scared expression, “Why? What happened?” he asked through furrowed brows.

Ian rubbed the back of his neck, “Eh…Colt came to the conclusion that this is a kidnapping and that’s why he and mom can’t go home…”

“Oh boy…” Barley groaned as he put his multiple bags down. He plastered a comforting smile on his face. “Hey guys…what’s going on?”

Colt’s ears dipped as he tightened his hold on Laurel.

Barley’s eyes went to his mother, “Mo- _Laurel_ , I got the clothes you asked for. If you want, you can go with Ian and he’ll help you get changed.”

Laurel pressed against her new friend as her ‘stranger danger’ flags went up. She didn’t feel so safe here anymore.

Ian quickly dug through the bags until he found the small pack of girl’s undies. He held them up, “You can change by yourself if you want. I don’t have to be in the room with you.” He tried to reason.

Laurel hesitated. It _was_ uncomfortable to wear these shorts without any undergarments…

After a moment of deliberation, the young elf stood up to follow Ian, only for Colt to grab her hand, “Don’t go with him!”

Laurel looked at the centaur, “But I _need_ my undies. It’s not comfy wearing shorts without them!” she argued as he gently eased her hand out of his grip.

Colt whimpered. He didn’t know what these ‘undies’ were, but apparently she _really_ wanted them…

“But-”

“It’s okay Colt, I’ll be right back.” Laurel soothed before turning and slowly making her way to Ian.

Colt scrambled to his feet, tail swishing in agitation, “Okay…”

Ian opened the packet and held it to Laurel, who took it in her tiny hands. She then walked into Barley’s room and closed the door.

As promised, Ian waited outside, but still called through the door, “Let me know if you need help with the button okay?”

“Okay.” Came the muffled voice.

Not even a moment later, the door opened and Laurel walked out, struggling with her button.

“I need help.” Ian swiftly leaned down and snapped the tiny button closed. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Ian said as he watched Laurel dash back to Colt. He looked over at Barley, “Uh, Barley, can I have a word with you…in _private_.”

Barley raised a brow, “Oookay…sure?”

Ian nodded with a forced smile, “Cool.” He looked back at his child-parents, “You guys keep playing while my brother and I have a little chat.” He watched at Laurel and Colt slowly lowered themselves back down and reluctantly picked up their discarded toys. Ian then pulled his brother into Barley’s room.

“What’s up?” Barley asked.

“So what’s the plan?” Ian asked as he place his hands on his hips, “I mean we have no counter spell, we don’t know how long this will wear off- _if_ it wears off, and _now_ mom and Colt think we kidnapped them or something!” he threw his hands up in the air as he said this.

Barley waved his hands in a calming motion, “Don’t _worry_. I’ll go online and search around and see if I can find any magical experts that might help us.”

“And if there’s not?” Ian challenged skeptically.

“There _are_. I’m not the only magic fanatic out there.” Barley insisted.

Ian brought a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, “Okay, but what if you don’t find them _tonight_?”

“Then, I’ll try again tomorrow. We have all weekend to fix this.” The older elf assured.

“But what if it’s not fixed by Monday?” Ian asked, “What are we going to do with them? I have school, you’ve got work… _mom and Colt_ have work…what would we do _then_?”

Barley went silent. What _would_ they do? He and Ian could just not show up to school or work, but what about their parents? Would they be able to call their parents respected work places on their behalf and make up an excuse as to why-

An idea suddenly hit Barley.

“We’ll just call their work places and put in a sick day…days.”

Ian frowned, “And _how_ would we manage that?”

“You can disguise your voice to sound like them and boom! Problem solved!” Barley grinned.

“I don’t know…I mean, we got in trouble for impersonating Colt _last_ time, and…I’m just not good at lying…in fact, I don’t think the spell would last because I’d be lying as to why Colt or mom can’t come in.” Barley made to argue, but Ian quickly continued, “And I don’t think answering in questions will work in this case. It’ll just raise suspicion.”

Barley deflated.

“I think we should call grandma and grandpa.” Ian said quickly.

Barley’s head snapped up, “ _What_?”

“ _Both_ of them.”

The older elf quickly shook his head, “ _No_. No, we are _not_ calling Grandma Bronco, she’s the _worst!_ ”

“Barley-”

“She _hates_ me, remember?”

“She doesn’t ‘hate’ you-”

“Oh yeah? Then why does-”

* * *

While the brothers held their hushed arguments, Colt had taken it upon himself to look around for a phone.

He had come across some weird looking devices that _looked_ like phones, but neither he nor Laurel knew how to make them work, so he continued his search.

Eventually, his eyes landed on a familiar object.

Hanging on the wall next to the kitchen counter, was an actual landline phone, the kind with the spiraled cord that connected the handset to the phone body.

Colt sent a quick glance in the direction the older boys went. When he saw that the coast was clear, he reached up and took the handset off the hook before dialing 911.

_“911, what’s your emergency?”_

* * *

“-and _furthermore-_ ”

“ _Wait_!” Ian held a hand up, effectively stopping Barley’s rant about his least favorite grandparent, “Listen…”

Barley did so and his eyes widened as Colt’s little voice sounded from the kitchen…

“Hi, I think my friend and me were kidnapped…”

The teen elves shared a look of horror before dashing out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't be mad at Colt...he's little and he thinks he's doing the right thing.😅


	3. We're what?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth is revealed...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Onward belongs to Disney/Pixar and Dan Scanlon. This fic was written purely for fun and I am making no money off this.

_“You think you’ve been kidnapped?”_ The dispatcher cooed at the other end of the line.

Colt nodded, “Uh-huh. We don’t know _where_ we- _HEY_!” he squealed as the phone was snatched from his little hand.

Ian held the phone to his chest, “Colt what are you _doing?!”_ he hissed, eyes wide in panic.

Colt didn’t answer and instead swiped at the phone, “Give it back!” he ordered.

With one hand, Ian held the little centaur back, while holding the phone up and out of his reach.

“ _Hello? Sweetie? Are you still there? Are you alright?”_

Ian stared at the phone in disbelief, “You called 911?!”

“ _Yes_!” Colt snapped as he reared back on his hind legs and attempted to take the phone.

“Barley, _help_!” Ian yelped.

Barley leapt into action, wrapping one arm around Colt’s upper torso while the other hooked the centaur under his front legs.

“ _Hey_!” Colt yelped as he tried to kick the older boy with his hooves, “Let me go!”

Barley winced as Colt landed a few good hits, “Dude, you need to _chill_!”

“NO!”

Barley blinked at the dull pain that erupted near his right thigh. He looked down and was surprised to see his _mother_ pounding at him with tiny fists.

“Mo- _Laurel_?!”

“You leave him _alone_!” Laurel glared at him as she continued her assault.

“Wha…?”

Ian watched the scene unfold while the dispatcher continued to call through the phone.

_“Sweetie are you alright? Are you still there? To whoever’s listening, this call will be traced and a squad car will be sent to your loca-”_

“ _NO_!” Ian cleared his throat before speaking more calmly into the receiver, “I mean…no, that won’t be necessary. My brother and I are…are baby sitting a couple of kids, and one of them got their hands on the phone and-…what? Oh…yeah…yeah okay…” Ian rubbed his brow with his free hand, “Ian and Barley Lightfoot…y-yeah _those_ Lightfoots…yeah…” Ian looked over at Barley, Colt and Laurel, “he’s… _here_ , but…he’s not available at the moment…yeah, but she’s not-…o-oh okay…no, no we’ll uh…we’ll be here…bye.” Ian hung the phone back on the receiver. “The dispatcher’s sending a police car over.” He announced, as he turned to face his elder brother.

Barley cringed, “Oh boy…”

“ _Yes_!” Colt cheered as he squirmed out of Barley’s grasp. He trotted back to the living room with Laurel hurrying in his wake. The two held hands as they glared at their ‘kidnappers’.

Ian took a few steps forward while Barley hung back and rubbed his new bruises.

“Colt, why did you do that?” Ian scolded softly.

Colt straightened and his brows furrowed, “Because we don’t know you and we don’t know where we are!” he said firmly.

Ian and Barley actually stepped back at the foal’s aggressive stance.

Colt didn’t look like a cute little foal anymore…

Just going by his posture, facial expression and tone, he looked and sounded like a smaller, younger version of his cop self…minus the thick mustache.

It was kind of intimidating…

Barley winced as he stepped forward, “Listen Colt, you’ve got it all wrong…Ian and I aren’t out to hurt you _or_ Laurel.”

Ian nodded, “Yeah we…we actually _know_ you guys!”

Colt narrowed his eyes, “ _I_ don’t ever remember seeing you before…”

“Me neither.” Laurel agreed, pressing herself against her protector.

“That’s because…something _happened_ …and it made you forget…” Ian said slowly.

“You _did_ something to us?!” Colt accused.

Ian sighed and turned to Barley, “Should we tell them? I mean, the cops are on the way as it is…”

Barley frowned, “Would they even believe us?”

“We have to try.” Ian said before turning to the kids, “We’ll explain everything, just…give me a minute!” he said as he made a dash to the stairs.

“Wait, where are you going?!” Barley called.

“I’m just getting something!” Ian called back.

The young elf came down a few seconds later carrying several picture frames. He set them on the dinning room table and shared a look with Barley before holding the first one in his hands. He then approached the young duo cautiously.

“This is going to sound _really_ weird, but…well, before I say anything,” Ian brushed past the kids and retrieved his staff from the umbrella rack, “I’m a wizard.”

Laurel’s face scrunched in confusion, whereas Colt was looking at him like he was crazy.

“A _wizard_?” The tiny elf asked skeptically. Ian nodded.

“There haven’t been any wizards for hundreds and hundreds of years. My dad told me.” Colt agreed.

Ian held his staff out, “No, it’s true! Look, watch.” He set the picture frame down and pointed his staff at the toy police car, “Aloft Elevar!” The toy lifted into the air, and he guided the small item towards the now wide-eyed, slack-jawed children.

The car hovered in front of Colt, who reluctantly took it in his small hands. He and Laurel stared at the little cruiser before directing their gob smacked expressions back to Ian.

“ _Magic_ …” Laurel breathed. Colt just stared in silence.

Ian nodded with a smile, “Yeah, _magic_.” He repeated.

“And it’s _because_ of magic, that you two are here.” Barely added.

“Huh?” The kids shared a confused look.

Ian picked up the picture frame he had set down and leaned his staff against the wall, “Earlier today, Barley and I were practicing some new magic spells, and one of the ones I was trying to learn was a de-aging spell…a spell that can make old things younger.” He paused to make sure he still had the children’s attention, “When I was doing that, I got distracted and you guys got hit with the spell instead of the apple I was aiming for…”

Colt and Laurel gasped and looked down at themselves, as if to look for any injuries.

“You guys aren’t hurt, but…you all _did_ change…” Barley assured.

“How?” Colt asked.

Ian spoke up, “Well like I said, this was a spell to make things younger, sooo…that’s what happened…” he turned the frame and held it up to the kids, “This is you guys before the uh… _accident_ …”

Colt and Laurel leaned forward to inspect the picture. It was a photo of Colt and Laurel on their wedding day.

“ _That’s us_?!” Colt asked, almost in disbelief.

“That’s you guys as grownups.” Barley confirmed.

“…Are we _married_?!” Laurel questioned. There was excitement in her voice.

Ian nodded again, “You’re married.”

Laurel and Colt looked at each other and blushed.

Barley grabbed another frame and held it to Colt, “Check it out little man.”

Colt took the frame and gasped. It was a photo of him all grown up and in a police uniform. “I’m a _police man_?!” His little voice wavered in barley withheld excitement.

“You’re one of the _best_ policemen.” Ian said with a smile.

Colt held the photo to his chest, “Just like my dad!” he whispered.

Laurel bounced on her feet, “And what about me?”

Barely grabbed the last frame, “Oh, well…you’re an editor. You read books and check them for mistakes and stuff.”

“Oh…”

“But you _really_ like it and you have fun doing it!” Ian assured.

“Oh!” Laurel brightened at the news.

Barley held the frame to her, “And this is you, me and Ian.” Laurel looked at the photo. It was a picture of grownup her and two little boys.

“Well, it’s me and Barley when we were little. You’re a grownup there, but obviously not as ‘old’ as you are in the wedding picture.” Ian explained.

“Huh…” Laurel hummed in thought, “Wait…how come we’re all in the picture together, and why do I know you when you’re little _and_ when you’re big?” she gasped, “Are you my little brothers?!”

Ian and Barley shared another look.

“Nooo…but we _are_ related…” Barley said slowly.

Upon Laurel’s confused look, Ian continued, “This is going to sound really, _really_ crazy, but… _Laurel_ …the reason why we’re all in this picture together, and the reason we know each other when we’re older is because… _you_ …are our mom…”

 _Complete_ and total silence filled the room.

“… _what_ …?”

Barley moved to stand next to his younger brother, “ _We_ ,” he pointed between Ian and himself, “are your sons…that you had as an adult.”

Laurel stared at them dumbfounded. “Woah…” she breathed as she brought a hand to her head.

Colt looked between the three elves, “Does that mean I’m you _dad_?” he asked, looking the boys over.

They sure didn’t _look_ like him…

Barley shrugged, “Sort of. I mean, you’re actually our _stepdad_.”

“Huh?”

“You’re technically, our _second_ dad.” Ian said gently. He held up two fingers, “Dad number two.”

Colt’s face dropped, “Oh…” So, he was only Laurel’s _second_ husband? He didn’t get to marry her _first_? She _liked_ -liked someone else before him…?

Colt’s ears dropped as his heart broke a little…

“But it’s okay!” Ian assured as he took in the foal’s crushed expression, “You guys are married _now_ , and you’re _so_ so happy!”

“A little _too_ happy.” Barley grumbled under his breath.

“ _Barley_ …” Ian warned with a small glare. Now was _not_ the time to make a scene.

“Where’s your _first_ daddy?” Laurel wondered, her mind still reeling at all the information.

The boys winced, “He’s uh…he’s not here anymore.” Barley answered softly.

“Where is he?” The girl pressed.

“…He’s gone…” Ian replied, “He…he got really sick and…well…he’s gone now…” he rubbed the back of his neck.

Laurel gasped at the implication, and despite the fears she held against him earlier, she walked forward and wrapped her arms around Ian’s leg. It felt weird knowing that this was her ‘son’ and that she was a mommy and that she had gotten married two times and that her first husband was… _dead_.

Still, she pressed her cheek against the skinny boy’s leg, “My grandpa’s gone too…” she said softly.

Ian’s eyes watered at the sentiment, “I know…” he caught sight of Barley and pointed over at him, “Why don’t you give Barley a hug too? I think he needs one.” He suggested.

Laurel released him and moved to wrap her arms around Barley’s thigh, “I’m sorry I had to beat you up.” She apologized, “I thought you were trying to hurt Colt.”

The teens actually laughed at the notion of Laurel ‘beating up’ Barley.

“Ah, it’s alright. I’m tougher than I look.” Barley assured. He ruffled Laurel’s hair, earning a cheerful giggle from the girl.

Ian looked over at Colt, who was inspecting his police photo again, “You okay Colt?”

The foal looked up and nodded, “Mm-hm.” He looked back at his picture, “I have a big mustache.” He noted.

Ian laughed, “Yeah-” A firm knock on the door made all the occupants jolt and turn to the front door.

“It’s the cops.” Barley announced. Through the curtains of the front window, he could make out the blurred form of the squad car parked by their mailbox. “Answer it!” Barley hissed whispered.

“What? Why me?”

“Because the cops don’t _like_ me!” Barley back. Colt arched a brow at that.

Ian threw his hands up in surrender, “ _Fine_.” He said as he went to the door. He looked through the peephole and cringed, “It’s Gore and Specter…”

“Of _course_ they would send them…” Barley grumbled.

Another knocked sounded. Ian put his hand on the handle, “Just…stay cool.” He instructed before cracking the door ajar. Peering out of the opening, he found Officer Specter and Officer Gore standing at the foot of his door, their hands resting on their belts.

Ian forced a smile, “Hiii… _officers_ …” he gulped, “What brings-”

“Dispatch received troubling call, coming from _this_ residence.” Officer Specter interrupted in her usual no-nonsense tone.

Ian’s smile dropped as he looked at Officer Gore, who stared at him through narrowed eyes, “Oh yeah… _that_ call…um…you know, it’s a funny story, really…Barley and I are uh…baby sitting a couple of kids and uh… _on of them_ ,” he looked back at Colt, “thought it would be funny to dial 911-”

“No, I _didn’t_!” Colt defended.

Ian winced as the officer’s perked.

“Is that one of ‘em?” Specter asked, trying to peer through the small opening.

Ian’s nervous smile returned as he straightened, “Yeah…he’s a little rascal, that one.” He chuckled. There was a tug on his shirt.

“I wanna see!” Colt whispered.

Ian reached back and tapped the centaur’s head in dismissal.

“Are your _parents_ even here?” Gore asked as she crossed her arms.

“I-”

“Bronco’s cruiser’s here, and so is Laurel’s car.” Specter noted.

Ian nodded slowly, “They’re here, but…they’re not… _available_ at the moment…” he answered cryptically. _Too_ cryptically.

“You mind if we step inside for a minute?”

It was worded and said as a question, but Ian knew it was more of a demand.

Colt tugging on his shirt wasn’t helping matters either…

“Oh well…uh…y-yeah…sure…okay…” Ian backed up and slowly opened the door fully. Who was he to deny his stepfather’s co-workers? He eased Colt back and he made way for the female officers to enter.

Their eyes immediately landed on the young centaur.

“Is this the kid?” Gore asked, pointing to Colt.

Ian nodded, “Tha-that’s him.”

Laurel toddled up to Colt’s side, “And _I’m_ here too!”

The women blinked at the duo.

The _familiar_ duo…

“Uhhh…since when did Colt and Laurel have kids? Or little clones of themselves?” Gore asked through furrowed brows.

“We _are_ Colt and Laurel!” the tiny elf piped up.

Ian moved to stand next to his brother as the officer’s faces dropped in stunned disbelief.

Specter blinked herself out of her stupor before pointing a finger in the brothers’ direction, “ _You two_! Explain. _Now_.”


End file.
